The Fitting Rooms Personal Training Gym

Lifestyle tips to maximise gym results…

Results aren’t built in the gym alone and what you do the other 23 hours matters just as much. Nail these lifestyle habits and everything else improves.

1 - Prioritise Sleep. Recovery happens while you sleep, and poor sleep kills performance, energy, muscle growth & hunger control. Aim for 7-9 hours a night with regular sleep & wake times.

2 - Eat Enough Protein. Protein repairs and builds muscle, but most people eat far less than they think. A couple of eggs won’t cut it (6g protein per medium egg!).

3 - Stay Hydrated. Dehydration hurts performance, focus & recovery. Drink consistently throughout the day, not just during training.

4 - Move Outside the Gym. Daily movement supports recovery and fat loss. A good starting point is to increase your step count by 2-3k steps a day to really make a difference.

5 - Manage Stress. High stress tanks sleep, recovery, and consistency, and high levels of cortisol can breakdown muscle tissue - undoing your hard work. Prioritise rest as part of the programme, not an optional extra.

6 - Be Consistent. You don’t need to be perfect, you just need to show up. A workout at half effort / time is always better than no workout.

Supplements Worth Taking

Once you’ve got the basics right, a few good supplements can give you a genuine edge...

Creatine - 3-5g daily. One of the most researched supplements out there. Boosts strength, power, recovery, & supports brain function.

Protein Powder - aim for 1.5–2.2g per kg a day. The easiest way to hit your protein target is to add in a shake, especially on busy days or with plant-based diets.

Vitamin D3 - 1,000–4,000 IU daily. Deficiency is incredibly common in the UK, and a vit D supplement will support immunity, mood, energy & muscle health.

Omega-3 Fish Oil - 1-2g EPA/DHA daily. Supports heart, brain, joint health, and reduces inflammation. Most people don’t eat enough oily fish to get enough naturally.

Put these habits in place, stay consistent, and the results will follow.

Full Body Warm-Up Routine…

The best workouts start with a proper warm up so here’s a simple routine you can do in 5 minutes. You’re not trying to stretch hard, just wake everything up, improve mobility, and reduce injury risk so you can train better from the first set.

1️⃣ Cat–Cow (on all fours). Move between arching and rounding your back to loosen the spine so you’re not stiff going into lifts.

2️⃣ Quadruped T-Spine Rotations (hand behind head). Rotate your upper body towards the ceiling to open up the upper back for better posture and movement.

3️⃣ Adductor Rock Backs (one leg extended). With one leg straight, rock hips back and forward, to loosens inner thighs and hamstrings for better squat depth.

4️⃣ Half Kneeling Ankle & Hip Rock. With one knee down, shift weight forward and back to improves ankle and hip mobility for lunges and squat depth.

5️⃣ Arm Swings (chest opener). Swing arms forward and back to opens shoulders and chest.

6️⃣ Shoulder External Rotations (L-shape arms). Elbows at 90°, rotate forearms down and up to activate rotator cuffs and stabilise the shoulders.

7️⃣ Squat Pulses. Small pulses at the bottom of a squat to fire up legs and glutes, and get you comfortable in the squat position.

8️⃣ Alternating Forward Lunges (bodyweight). Step forward into a lunge, then back and switch sides, to warm up legs, balance, and coordination.

Spend 20-30 seconds on each movement (both sides) to increase your body temperature, blood flow and muscle elasticity, and you’ll be ready to get the most from your workout!

Upgrade your core training with these 4 movements…

Building a strong core is about much more than chasing a six-pack. Your core is the foundation for almost every movement you do: helping you lift better, move efficiently, improve posture, and protect your spine from injury. A well-trained core means better performance and fewer aches and pains.

To build a truly resilient core, you need more than crunches. You need to train it to resist movement (not just create it), while targeting the deep stabilisers, abs, obliques and lower back.

Here are 4 simple, but seriously effective, exercises to level up your training:

Plank Pull-Throughs (anti-rotation + anti-extension)
- Targets: deep core, re**us abdominis, obliques, shoulders, lower back.
- Tip: Keep your hips as still as possible - if they sway, the load is too heavy or your stance is too narrow.

Dead Bugs (anti-extension)
- Targets: deep core (transverse abdominis), hip flexors, coordination patterns.
- Tip: Press your lower back into the floor the entire time, if it lifts, reset before continuing.

Russian Twists (rotation)
- Targets: obliques, re**us abdominis, hip stabilisers.
- Tip: Rotate through your torso, not just your arms, and control the movement instead of rushing reps.

Pallof Press (anti-rotation)
- Targets: deep core, obliques, glutes, spinal stabilisers.
- Tip: Stay tall and brace hard - don’t let the cable pull you off centre.

Train your core to resist, control, and stabilise because that’s where real strength is built.

New to the gym? Here’s some strength training targets to aim for...

When it comes to getting started with resistance training, most beginners either set their sights too high and burn out, or have no target at all and just drift from session to session.

Online searches for ‘strength training standards’ will generally give you targets based on experienced, elite lifters, which can be unrealistic and demoralising! So, here is a realistic roadmap for your first year of resistance training, based on your own bodyweight so the goals scale to you, not someone else.

We’re focusing on the 3 big compound movements - Squats, Deadlifts and Bench Press - the exercises that form the foundation of any solid training programme.

Compound movements work multiple muscle groups at once, meaning you get the most bang for your buck and build real, functional strength fast. Master these and everything else follows.

It’s really important to note that progress will vary depending on your training frequency, current bodyweight, programming focus and exercise background, so use these as a guide, not a rulebook.

Squat: the “king of lower body strength”, loading your quads, glutes and hamstrings.
3 months - 0.5x bodyweight
6 months - 0.75x
12 months - 1x

Deadlift: total body pulling power from the floor, hitting your posterior chain hard.
3 months - 0.6x bodyweight
6 months - 1x
12 months - 1.3x

Bench Press : your upper body pushing foundation, building chest, shoulders and triceps.
3 months - 0.3x bodyweight
6 months → 0.5x
12 months - 0.75x (men) / 0.65x (women)

Save this and check back in on yourself every few months. Consistency beats intensity every time!

thefittingroomsgym

Shoulder tri-set for strong, stable, shapely shoulders...

Strong, well-developed shoulders aren’t just about aesthetics they’re key for overall strength, posture, and injury prevention. People often focus only on the side delts, chasing that wider look, but that’s just one piece of the puzzle. If you want that full, round, defined shoulder shape, you need to train all three heads: front, side, and rear delts.

Neglecting the rear delts especially can lead to imbalances, poor posture, and even shoulder pain over time. Balanced shoulder training helps you move better, lift stronger, and look more complete from every angle.

Build these three shoulder exercises into your next shoulder workout, either separately or as a tri-set, to work every angle of the delts...

1️⃣ Dumbbell Lat Raises for the lateral delts

2️⃣ Incline DB Seated Shoulder Press to build overall strength and front delt engagement

3️⃣ Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Fly to hit those often overlooked rear delts, and give that fully rounded look.

Making time to stretch is one of the best things you can do to release muscle tension, improve flexibility & prevent stiffness after training!

Whether it’s first thing in the morning or as you wind down before bed, taking time to stretch is so important, especially if you’ve trained that day. A proper cool down and stretch will help to reduce next-day stiffness and allows your nervous system to relax.

Here’s TFR PT Sadie’s go-to routine:

Spinal twists - Lie on your back with your knees bent and arms out in a T shape. Let your legs fall gently from side to side, using your hand to guide the top knee for a deeper stretch through your lower back and glutes.

Figure 4 stretch - Cross one ankle over the opposite knee and draw your legs in towards you. You should feel a deep stretch through the glutes.

Child’s pose - Perfect for easing lower back tension. From all fours, bring your knees hip-width apart, reach your arms forward, and sink your hips back towards your heels.

Puppy pose - From child’s pose, lift your hips up while keeping your chest and shoulders melting towards the floor, to open up the chest, shoulders and upper back.

Hamstring stretch - Fold forward from standing and let your upper body hang heavy. Hold onto your legs if you can, and slowly bend one knee at a time to deepen the stretch on each side.

Chest stretch - Clasp your hands behind your back or use a doorway or squat rack. Open your chest and gently press it forward to feel the stretch across the front of your body.

Upper back stretch - With open arms, link your hands together and push them away to stretch through the upper back.

Hold each stretch for around 20–30 seconds, and don’t forget to breathe slowly and deeply throughout.

Give these a try after your next workout, and let us know your favourite stretches if we’ve missed it here!